instrument
instrument — noun
1. A physical object built for creating music when someone plays it — pianos, guita
A physical object built for creating music when someone plays it — pianos, guitars, flutes, and drums are all examples.
Élise has been learning to play the piano, her favourite instrument, since she was six.
collocation: play + instrument
The orchestra uses more than fifty different instruments, including violins and drums.
Apinya chose the guitar as her first instrument because she loved its sound.
At the music shop, Talia tested three different wind instruments before buying a flute.
- musical instrument
the full form; 'instrument' alone is normal in most contexts
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning of 'instrument'. Use 'play the [instrument]' or 'play an instrument' to talk about performing music.
2. A hand-powered tool or piece of equipment designed for a specific job, especiall
A hand-powered tool or piece of equipment designed for a specific job, especially in medicine, science, or craft work.
The surgeon asked for a clean instrument before making the first cut.
collocation: surgical instrument
Caleb keeps his wood-carving instruments in a leather roll to protect the sharp blades.
In her university lab, Lara used precision instruments to measure the lead content in local water samples.
The dentist picked up a small metal instrument and carefully examined Diya's back tooth.
Sade cleaned her laboratory instruments, including the microscope and the balance, after each experiment with bacteria samples.
常見錯誤
3. A gauge, dial, or display panel inside a vehicle that shows information such as
A gauge, dial, or display panel inside a vehicle that shows information such as speed, altitude, fuel level, or engine temperature.
The pilot checked her instruments before beginning the descent toward the runway.
collocation: flight instrument
When the fuel gauge stopped working, Noa knew one of the dashboard instruments needed repair.
Captain Andrei checked the digital instruments on the Airbus A380, which showed altitude, speed, and fuel on a single screen.
The instrument panel in Vinícius's car lit up with a warning light for low tire pressure.
4. Something that someone uses as a way to get a result or make something happen, e
Something that someone uses as a way to get a result or make something happen, especially in a deliberate or planned way.
For Yara, growing up in rural Ghana, education was a powerful instrument for building a better future.
pattern: instrument for [verb]-ing
The Camp David Accords served as an instrument of peace between Egypt and Israel for more than forty years.
pattern: instrument of [noun]
During the 2020 protests in Bangkok, student activists used social media as an instrument for organizing mass rallies.
Yumi saw the scholarship from a Japanese university as an instrument for training as a surgeon and serving her hometown.
文法句型
instrument of [noun]
instrument for [verb]-ing
5. A financial product such as a bond, share, or contract that can be bought, sold,
A financial product such as a bond, share, or contract that can be bought, sold, or traded on financial markets.
In 2023, Toyota issued ten-year bonds — a type of debt instrument — to raise two billion dollars for its electric-vehicle factories.
collocation: debt instrument
A London investment bank trades complex financial instruments, including derivatives linked to oil prices and global currency rates.
collocation: financial instrument
The Indian government issued savings instruments called 'Infrastructure Bonds' to raise money for building new highways across the country.
When Iker bought stock options without understanding the risks, he lost his entire savings in less than three months.
6. Someone used and directed by a more powerful person to serve that person's own a
Someone used and directed by a more powerful person to serve that person's own aims, without being able to choose freely.
The general felt he had been treated as a mere instrument of the dictator's ambitions.
pattern: instrument of [powerful entity]
In the novel, the young soldier is an instrument of the empire, carrying out orders without question.
The whistleblower refused to be an instrument of the company's cover-up and went to the press.
Christopher worried that the recruitment team saw students as mere instruments of university funding targets.
- master
the person who does the controlling
文法句型
instrument of [noun]
常見錯誤
instrument — verb
1. To put measuring and recording devices into a machine, vehicle, or system so tha
To put measuring and recording devices into a machine, vehicle, or system so that it can collect data or be monitored.
The engineering team instrumented the bridge with sensors to monitor its movement during earthquakes.
pattern: instrument [object] with [sensors]
Each test car is instrumented with cameras and recorders before the crash trials begin.
passive: is instrumented with
Researchers instrumented the volcano with heat sensors and seismographs to predict eruptions.
Dr. Minho of Seoul National University instrumented the lab with six gas sensors to track daily air quality changes.
文法句型
instrument [something] with [sensors/devices]
2. To write or arrange a piece of music so that it is played by particular musical
To write or arrange a piece of music so that it is played by particular musical instruments, especially to create an orchestral version.
The composer instrumented her latest symphony for a full orchestra of eighty players.
pattern: instrument [piece] for [ensemble]
Mauricio spent months instrumenting the piano piece for a chamber group.
The music teacher, Inês, was asked to instrument the old folk song for strings and woodwinds only.
Hui learned how to instrument a melody for four different instrument families at music school.
- orchestrate
more common; specifically means writing for an orchestra
- arrange
broader; adapting music for any combination of instruments
- score
the most common term for writing instrumental parts
文法句型
instrument [piece] for [ensemble]
3. To prepare, issue, or address a formal legal document, such as a contract, deed,
To prepare, issue, or address a formal legal document, such as a contract, deed, or writ, to a specific person or authority.
Nora, the lawyer, instrumented the deed of trust for the Garcia house and sent signed copies to all three parties.
legal register: instrument a deed
The federal court in Chicago instrumented a summons to each of the seven companies named in the environmental pollution lawsuit.
legal register: instrument a summons
Obi's law firm in Lagos instrumented the contract for a forty-unit housing development near Victoria Island last Tuesday.
Notary Tamás instrumented the transfer of Chiara's apartment to the new owners and recorded it with the Budapest registry.
文法句型
instrument [document] to [person]